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Monday, January 9, 2017

It All Counts

By Mell Corcoran

So, as I am writing this
I am watching game seven of the World Series with the sound off. No, I am not a
huge baseball fan but I am a huge fan of long shots, underdogs and lost causes
so, naturally, I am rooting for the Cubs. The game has been awesome. The Cubs
all but had it sewn up in the 7th with a three run lead until
the Indians broke out the bad boys and now the game is tied as they head in for
the tenth inning. But wait! Hold your breath a little longer. As if by some
big-budget blockbuster director's cue, let there be rain! They are rolling the
tarps out. Game delay. Ain't that just a kicker? Adding insult to injury,
a little notice pops up on my screen telling me my television has to change the
channel in order to record my favorite shows coming on now.

“Ahhhh!” She shouts,
shaking a fist towards the heavens.

If you wrote this stuff,
no one would believe it for a moment. It's just too much. Too over the top. The
rain delay is simply pushing the envelope too far. It's the Cubs for pity's
sake! If you were writing this you would have lost the audience at “the
Cubs”. Over one hundred years tells us the implausibility of the
scenario, right?

In the pause I took from
writing this article to watch history being made, it took on a whole new
luster. As important as the finished product is, the true journey starts at the
first pitch. For us writers, the first sentence. Write it. Who cares if you
don't know exactly where you story is going to go straight away. Just like the
108 years it took for the Cubs to get here, it may take fifty re-writes, a
decade or two. The pages may never see the light of day, but that's not the
point. With every letter we write, we learn, grow, and evolve. That, my
friends, is the journey. Don't be in such a rush to get from point A to point
Z. Enjoy each key-stroke, or swipe of the pen. Own it and relish it because
once you put down that last period, it's a whole new ball game. Some will make
it to the big leagues, while others will have to be content with a career in
the minors. That's okay! The critical part is that each swing, each font, are
creations from your own heart and soul. Don't take that for granted.

For organic writers,
like me, the bases are not neatly spaced in perfect diamond symmetry from the
start. The creative process is not in any way linear or mapped out like it is
for many writers. I tried that once and it was disastrous. For me, my story
process is about as organic as the Amazon rain forest. It's easy to lose sight
of the forest through the trees and vines while trying to reach the clear
objective. That gut wrenching, tear jerking or awe inspiring end to our story.

When I begin, I am just
as guilty as anyone of getting too wrapped up planning a clear path from A to
Z. Which is why I felt it was important to write this. Don't be in such a rush
to get to the business end of the road. The creative process is a soul feeding
experience that we need to enjoy. Be in the moment as it's happening! Because
once that final chapter is finished, that experience is over. The lights in the
stadium go out and we all go home. For a non-sports related metaphor, let me
try this one. The first kiss only happens once. Can you remember what you wore
that day? How you felt leading up to it? As cliche as it sounds, the journey is
just as important as the destination.

When I headed for a
rarely used room to watch the final moments of the World Series on another
television, it was then that this article became more profound to me. The
camera panned across the faces of the fans gnashing at their fingernails, gazes
rapt on the field, praying, waiting for that last out to define history, I saw
him. A sweet old man dressed in a three piece suit that looked like he had been
wearing it since the last time the Cubs won in 1908. This aged cherubic face
stood among the hoard proudly holding up a ratty piece of cardboard. The
homemade banner bore the words “It's Happening” scrawled in childlike block
letters. His eyes were wide and you could clearly see he was holding his
breath. Montgomery made the pitch. Martinez took the hit, the ball stuttered
down the infield. Bryant scooped it up and passed it to Rizzo. That was it. The
third out. It was over and as the realization washed over the players and they
all converge on one another for hugs and chest bumps. But all I could see was
the sweet old man in the background. Frantically messing with his cardboard
sign. Then he raised it to the heavens as tears poured down from his eyes and
it looked like his cheeks might explode, his smile was so enormous.

Then I realized what he
had done. Reading his redraft. I could see he scratched out certain letters and
was now proudly waving his new edit which now read… “It Happened”. Yeah, it
sure did.

Mell Corcoran is author of the critically
acclaimed Series of Shadows, including Shadows of Doubt. Shadows of Deceit, and
Shadows May Fall. After nearly two decades working in the legal profession Mell
made a major career shift to pursue her passion and found her bliss as a
mystery-thriller writer. A native Southern Californian, Mell is an avid animal
lover, hockey fan, would-be golfer and aspiring tech geek. She resides with her
family just outside Los Angeles. Mell adores her fans and loves speaking at
venues from the Annual International Thriller Writer's Convention, known as
ThrillerFest, to local libraries and even small neighborhood book clubs across
the country. Mell is extremely active in social media and can be found on Facebook
and Twitter among others. Her books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or
wherever books are sold. You can visit her website at www.MellCorcoran.com
for links and more information.

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